Life in the shadows
by Shadowtigs
Summary: Shadow has agreed to try his hand living with Black Doom and the Black Arms. What ensures will be a learning curve for both master and creation.
1. Chapter 1

A companion series for my other fanfics about these two.

* * *

The alien regarded the hedgehog that waited before him; the battle had been hard and even the other's golden glow failed to hide the damage that had been dealt to his inferior form. It was impressive that the hedgehog had held out this long and even more impressive that he had actually managed to harm the leader of the universe's most supreme race; no other had succeeded in that. If he were to be truly arrogant he could consider the hedgehog's success as a result of his own donated blood in the creature's veins; however he was experienced enough to know that blood only granted so much and, in the hedgehog's case, there was certainly a level of skill and a good knowledge of battle tactics. Really, without any formal Black Arms training, it was a miracle that Shadow had made it this far; his armies weren't easy to beat. Doom was willing to bet if Shadow had been raised as one of his army… that was it!

"Can you feel your strength leaving you?" The alien's rough voice spoke in the hedgehog's mind "You were never made to endure combat of this kind."

Hissing at the invasion, Shadow bared his fangs, "I was never taught to surrender!"

That was what Doom had hoped to hear. Carefully he regarded the mass of bruises that lay hidden amongst the glowing fur; it must be agony for the small creature, whose skin was not as tough as the rest of his siblings', but he seemed determined to hide any sign of weakness before the one who had helped create him.

A smile crossed Devil Doom's lips, "You would die for them Shadow?"

Clenching his fists, the hedgehog's ruby eyes bore into Doom's own, "I swore to Maria I'd give them a chance, Gerald never wanted you on his home… I owe them my life and I will die to ensure I repay them."

"And what about the part of your life you owe to me?" The devilish alien had the satisfaction of seeing the hedgehog thrown by his words.

Eyeing the alien cautiously, Shadow frowned. "What would you have me do? I can't betray Maria."

"Join my army." Seeing the hedgehog about to protest, doom held up his hands for silence, "I will not harm this world Shadow but I will not allow you to destroy my race. Keep fighting, I'll fake my own demise and then; with the world in chaos as it tries to rebuild, you will come with me."

"And if I were to refuse?" The hedgehog's voice held something that was almost longing.

"It would be regrettable," the alien confessed, "most likely we would continue our battle until one of us fell."

The hedgehog spoke bluntly, "You assume that will be me."

"As I said," Doom frowned down at the small but stubborn hedgehog, "it would be regrettable."

Closing his eyes, Shadow again addressed the alien, "It would never work; G.U.N. would want a body."

"For experiments… they have doubtless done so with those of my fallen soldiers." Doom hissed bitterly before turning his attention back to the normally dark furred hedgehog, "You've seen what I am capable of," Doom smiled at the thought of what he had already done to this world, "why is it so hard for you to accept this plan will work?"

Absently, Shadow shook his head; it seemed he put too higher stock in his humans… or too little trust in his maker.

"Tell Shadow," the alien began, "when was the last time someone did something for you without any work on your part?"

The smaller creature frowned "Rouge freed me from stasis… we're partners now."

Both Devil doom's heads gave a nod that could have been understanding; it was hard to tell with the alien features, and smirked, "That wasn't quite the right answer Shadow. The truth is they all want something from you… even your Maria," The alien lord repressed a shudder of disgust at the thought of any of his blood, even the hybrid, bowing to the will of a human, " I wish to save you the fate of destroying your only blood family; I wish to help you escape from the thumb of these humans who use your talents in such wasteful ways; save you from the fickle friends who adore you one moment and despise you the next."

Ruby eyes narrowed in their glowing face. "Strange Doom… I could have sworn that you are guilty of all three crimes yourself."

Regarding the hedgehog, Doom spoke bluntly, "I assumed you duel origin; the human taint on your creation, would render you useless; a blunt tool to be used only when needed. I had more desire for your hedgehog form than the powers you may have had. However, despite the inadequacy of your training, you proved yourself more than a match for even my strongest soldiers… I find myself impressed with you, Hedgehog, and now I wish to rectify my mistake in leaving you with the humans for half a century."

With a scoff, Shadow glared down the donor of his DNA, "You wish to add me to your army Doom."

"Perhaps," ignoring the other's tone, the alien remained calm; he was more patient than many realised, "Perhaps not. Did it ever occur to you Shadow that I would not want one as volatile as you in my line of defence… or even my line of attack?"

Scorn filling his tone, Shadow snarled a reply "You have my best intentions at heart then? Forgive me if I don't believe that; you are yet to have any heart that I can see!"

"Most creatures require a heart Shadow," Doom frowned; were the humans who had raised his gift to their race really that incompetent that they did not know basic biology? "I am no exception you'll find; though I suppose you could not have known."

Smirking at the alien's mistake, Shadow nodded dismissively, "My mistake."

"Your ignorance is forgiven." Doom waved a hand to clear the air and put the matter to rest, "Now will you let me free you of the burden of this battle and accept the life I am offering?"

"If it didn't work," the hybrid spoke hesitantly, "I would be free to leave?"

Regretting the level of emotion he had allowed that professor to give to a weapon, Doom nodded resignedly, "I have no wish to deal with you betraying me if I held you against your will."

"I suppose there isn't much here for me," the hedgehog confessed, "though I would be better telling Rouge and Omega that I wished to return to the ARK."

Doom was silent for a moment.

"I take it that statement means you agree?" He watched the hedgehog for any sign of doubt.

"I agree." Shadow's tone was curt.

"Then I suppose you had better conclude this battle Shadow," the alien smiled at his next words, "and show them what the Ultimate Lifeform is truly capable of."

"Very well, My Lord." The hedgehog tried the new name on his tongue, "I hope you know how to play dead."


	2. Chapter 2

Sorry, I personally don't like this chapter and it doesn't seem great but hopefully the next one will be better.

* * *

Like every morning after a long and hard battle, Doom stood and surveyed his army. It was a tedious job but someone had to take toll of the losses or else the entire Comet might grind to a halt. Usually these inspections were routine and took only a few moments of his time, this one however was different. The alien leader frowned; the loss of the only hedgehog on the Comet was an issue he couldn't pretend not to notice. Eying up his soldiers cautiously he inquired if they had seen, or perhaps eaten, Shadow; certainly it would be a blow after all the effort it had taken to convince the hedgehog to join but it would at least put an end to the small creature's ridiculous claim of being the Ultimate Lifeform. Fortunately or not that didn't appear to be the case, forcing Doom to finally decide that he had no choice but to search the ship himself; muttering about all the things he would do to the hybrid once he found him. After searching the likely places including that infernal space station the Professor had called home, Doom soon found himself before the door that led to a small storage area that, if rumour was true, Shadow had since taken as his own. Pushing open the door provided the only light in the lightly furnished room; a desk and bed were currently all that filled the space. It was the bed that held the alien's interest; a small figure lay coiled underneath the dark sheets.

"Shadow?" The alien's tone was thick with irritation.

There was no reply, forcing Black Doom to draw closer. With some hesitance, Doom peeled back the layers to reveal the red streaked ball below; perhaps the hedgehog had died through the night. Gently, Doom prodded the hedgehog with a finger and watched with a strange emotion that could have been amusement as it curled up tighter; such a primitive defence! For a brief moment the alien allowed his thoughts to wonder at how the hedgehog found his way around; only his own superior sight had allowed him to glimpse what filled the windowless room and he was certain Shadow's eyes were nowhere near his own in keenness. Curiosity getting the better of the millennia old alien, Doom rolled the other across the mattress, again without response. Deep in thought, the leader of the Black Arms found himself pulling the sheet over his newest ally; perhaps there was more to keeping Shadow than he had first envisioned… including finding him somewhere with a window, as Doom had a strong suspicion than Gerald had given him a soldier which hibernated… not that he would admit that suspicion to his army of course. Certainly Shadow was a challenge but Black Doom hadn't ruled the Universe without work,

"Besides," the alien muttered to his sleeping audience, "once I have finally gained full mastery over you, little hybrid, there will be no doubt about who is the Supreme Being."


	3. Chapter 3

I don't know where this one came from. It almost seems like a filler.

* * *

He had never expected it to come to this; certainly the hedgehog's dealing with G.U.N. had given him a knowledge of the military, he never thought the small creature would have such a good grasp of strategy. Although Doom was deeply ashamed that anything creature of his blood, even the hybrid, had served under the humans, he was beginning to wonder if he had misjudged them.

"What are you thinking about?" The hedgehog's words were void of emotion but the ruby gaze on the alien held a flicker of wonder.

"Your abilities," all three of his eyes regarded his newest ally and soldier, "are beyond my expectations."

Hesitantly, Shadow's gaze fell to the table where he sat, "We are just play chess Doom."

Black Doom felt his lips twist in a smirk, "That's what the humans would have you believe Shadow; in truth this is a good way to teach militant tactics: the pawns are your foot soldiers, weak, expendable but vital to your army… you would get nowhere without foot soldiers."

Swiftly, the streaked hedgehog interrupted, "You must have your work cut out for you," the hybrid grinned "I recall destroying quite a few of them."

"Yes," unable to keep the bitter tone from his voice, Doom wondered, if not for the hibernation incident, if Gerald's pet project would be sitting across from him, "now stop interrupting me, I am trying to teach you!"

Smirking but silent, Shadow gestured for his biological father to continue.

Casting a wary eye over the hedgehog, Black Doom tried again "Your knights are more valuable, they have unique abilities which help you but, when in a crisis, they are also expendable; bishops and rooks are more valuable and should be used more selectively, their abilities are assets that you must only lose if essential, though they should never be saved over your king."

"Which is you." The weary tone of the other's voice informed Doom that the lesson may need repeating in future.

"No," the alien got a look of satisfaction as he watched the hedgehog's ears perk in surprise, "I am not the most important thing to the Black Arms survival, Shadow, and I would lay my life down for our home just as readily as the rest of my soldiers."

"That's why we fought away from the comet." The revelation shook the hedgehog; he had never thought Doom capable of caring for something more than himself.

"Yes Shadow it is." Pausing to gather his thoughts, the alien allowed himself a brief glimpse into the creation's mind; the thoughts, whilst disturbingly human, with such an odd idea of loyalty and affection, confirmed what he had suspected about the hybrid, "Without my race I am nothing, I would not exist as you know me… It is not in our natures to be alone."

Growling at the comparison, the artificial Lifeform narrowed his gaze, "Our? What would you know of my nature… aside from the fact you wish to oppress it?"

"Your actions tell me that I'm right Hybrid," Doom watched the other flinch at the title, "your devotion to that girl, your willingness to spend time with creatures that annoy you, even your work for that sorry excuse for an army are all proof that you and I are alike. Neither of us need our allies for strength; in that we differ from chess, but we need them for a purpose; mine to have something to rule over and yours to push away the isolation of belonging both nowhere and everywhere. It is a safe assumption Shadow that the idea of spending eternity alone is what drove you here."

"It's an interesting analysis Doom," Shadow's eyes were firmly back on the board, "however I believe this conversation is over."

The alien gazed at his offspring with curiosity, "Why is that Shadow?"

The hedgehog eyed up his master coldly, "I've won this game Doom."

As he watched the hybrid's retreating form, Black Doom frowned; it seemed his cast off may teach him yet.


	4. Chapter 4

Exams got in the way but hopefully I'll be back to updating this more often. Again this seems more like a filler and I'm not sure where I was going with it. Hopefully it isn't terrible.

* * *

It was a split second decision that sent the hedgehog hurtling across the room as the powerful blast from his opponent shattered the wall beside him. His dark fur rippled in the shock waves that followed but he didn't have time to rest; his opponent could be preparing his next strike. Forcing his wounded form to resume the constant motion of running. Soon the force of his running had created a tornado that now held his opponent. The ruby eyes spotted the silhouette of his rival and his body instantly responded by sending a chaos spear at his foe. A low snarl proved the attack had made its mark. The battle however was far from over and, despite the momentary success of his latest strategy, Shadow knew he was at a disadvantage. Black Doom always knew where he was during their battle and being able to sense the hedgehog's presence ensured he held the advantage...

As soon as he had recovered from the hedgehog's blow, the alien retaliated with a meteor strike that knocked the hybrid flying into the opposing wall of the comet where he crumpled. The leader of the Black Arms stared down at his offspring from a distance and watched as the hybrid forced himself to stand on trembling limbs, his body was racked by harshly drawn breaths which swiftly turned to a frantic panting. Surprisingly, despite his weakened state the hybrid still held a chaos spear in readiness for the next attack.

"Enough!" The low growl made the hedgehog's ears pick up as Doom moved closer, "Our aim was to test your limits; not to kill each other."

Respectfully the hedgehog dropped his head, "Of course, My Lord"

The alien repressed the urge to smirk; even now his project with that human professor couldn't keep the anger from his voice when forced to play the role of an inferior. How the human government had expected to persuade Shadow to obey them was beyond his understanding.

"I am pleased I chose to handle your training myself Shadow," Black Doom's voice held a thoughtful note "your abilities exceed those of all my soldiers."

Surprised, the hedgehog gave his usual answer, "I was created to be the Ultimate Lifeform." A thought seemed to occur to Shadow, "I never faced such challenges on the ARK, and it is pleasant to finally be able to show what I am truly capable of."

"Those humans were too afraid to develop your true potential Shadow," the words came as easily as the always did when Black Doom was forced to discuss his offspring's origin "I, on the other hand, have no such fears."

The retreating hybrid paused in the doorway, "I am well aware of that, Father."

Living up to his name the hedgehog vanished as soon as his words were spoken, leaving the other gazing at an empty space. For all the damage dealt by the hybrid that day, his final word seemed to be the most effective.


	5. Chapter 5

Anyone remember chapter 2?

* * *

Another year, another battle and once again Black Doom found himself stuck with the unpleasant task of surveying the damage. His army had come out of this battle mostly intact although he was almost certain that his hybrid offspring had harmed some of his siblings in the heat of the battle. Regardless the hedgehog had proven himself as a key figure in the battle and Doom forced himself to wonder if he would be willing to allow Shadow to lead his army one day. Suddenly the alien overlord froze a suppressed a hiss; once again he was missing the hedgehog. The search of the newly appointed room proved unproductive and Black Doom couldn't sense the hedgehog on the comet. With something which the alien would later assure his pet project was a concern for the loss of an asset not parent worry, Doom despatched his army to return to the planet they had just concurred and look for their sibling. The hours passed and all the reports were negative. Pacing his home the alien fought the images of his hedgehog lying injured; the small form was unarmoured and despite what Gerald had claimed on the hedgehog's creation it was doubtful that Shadow's healing factor matched that of the Black Arms. Hesitantly he pushed such images aside, he himself had trained Shadow and the hybrid would be fine. Regardless an order was given to his army to double their efforts before the darkness made all searching impossible…

It had been almost a full day since the battle had ended and Doom had almost given up hope for the return of Shadow. His army was restless to leave the area since their recall to the ship, their efforts leaving them eager to find a new food source, he had opposed their wishes for as long as possible but the true power of the Black Arms lay in the army and even their leader could not deny their request forever. A sudden flux of energy hit the millennia old alien just a he was about to give the order to move off.

"Shadow." The word was growled.

Swiftly the alien headed towards the source of the disturbance all the while ensuring his face was void of emotion. After traveling down several passage ways Doom saw the spiked form he had been hoping to lay eyes on all day. Standing with his arms crossed and the usual scowl on his features Shadow was blissfully unaware that he had once again caused chaos and hindered his creator… Black Doom intended to rectify that.

"Shadow," the rough voice began, "have you betrayed me again?"

Surprised and apparently startled, the hedgehog blinked, "No My Lord."

Pushing back what he deeply feared was the attitude of an over protective parent, Doom sighed, "The last time you disappeared I found you helping that blue rat and the humans, now you disappear again and delay my army and deny your brothers their reward. Explain!"

In a flash the ruby eyes turned icy, "I wasn't aware I was your prisoner."

A sense of weariness filled the alien overlord and something that may have been regret filled him, "You are… not as expendable as I first thought Shadow."

For a moment silence hung between the pair.

"I did not realise that Father." The hedgehog's ears were lowered and for a moment Black Doom found himself amazed at the power a single role gave him. Shadow's eyes were on the floor as he continued, "I shall not return to Earth again."

The confession of his guilty child surprised Doom not least as he could see no reason to return to that awful planet, still something must be done to end the tension and the hybrid seemed to be waiting on a response, "It is alright Shadow," the alien found himself pushing the hours of concern to the back of his mind, "there's no harm done. Besides Child you are home now."

The look on the hybrid's face was new to Doom but it something about felt just as good as winning a war.


End file.
